Former President George W. Bush, son of the late president, walked to his seat at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. While greeting other US presidents and first ladies, he leaned over and handed former first lady Michelle Obama what appears to be a piece of candy or a cough drop. She accepted it with a smile, bringing a brief moment of levity to a serious occasion.

Bush's gesture recalls a previous shared moment between the two political figures. The former first lady explained the first time Bush passed her a cough drop, during the funeral for Sen. John McCain in September. She saw Bush getting a candy from his wife and asked for one. "It was a simple gesture," she told Today.

Today's cough drop pass feels like a unifying moment that transcends politics and instead speaks to the heart of a friendship that shines even during a sad and solemn time.